FrSky GPS Telementy.

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Pyropetepete

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We've all seen the Kate system and its cool but just way too costly.

I'm a UAV pilot as part of my trade but I also fly as a hobby.

I use an FrSky Taranis X9D radio. It's 2.4Ghz, does a million and one things and with receiver costs about £200.

The X series of RX allow for sensors which connect via 1 port. This data is sent back to the TX and can be displayed on screen.

One cool feature is logs, so you can capture the data of your flight via sensors, inputs list goes on and export them once done. Google Earth plugin works perfectly.

There is a function call logical switches. Here you can select any number of your switches and map them to different functions. In this case I'm using a switch to read out the GPS data values and also log them.

I had a quick test today with these bits...

GPS v2
X8R
Turnigy 2s 1000mAh

30 seconds the GPS get lock and starts transmitting data back to the Tx.

I setup my special function switch to read the following...

GPS Altitude
Speed
Distance

I set the radio to play these values every 8 seconds.

Here are a couple of pics. I've a video from benching it. I'll strap it to my son electric scooter and use him a test bed tomorrow.

This sensor is only £30 delivered. It has other values that can be read out but im still playing.

Also this is not my idea but was shared on here. I've just chosen to document it.

ImageUploadedByRocketry Forum1461442454.755475.jpgImageUploadedByRocketry Forum1461442466.026038.jpgImageUploadedByRocketry Forum1461442474.908889.jpg
 
So the radio stock will do 1 mile.

I've modified one of mine with a new antenna and done 3 miles.

You can add booster to make it go even more.
 
About the Google Earth plug-in. Most likely one would need a live online connection to be able to use that in realtime. There are licensing issues involved and if one doesn't have an internet connection onsite, they can nix that one.
2.4Ghz is a manageable antenna situation but if the lock is lost early in a rocket flight, might be hard to reacquire a signal or proceed to within the ground footprint of the tracker. I'd say test it out and see what you get.
Might be viable.

"GPS Rocket Locator" works with Android devices and an internet connection for a live map with NMEA trackers.
Altus Metrum's software for a laptop and Android can cache a mapset that has a watermark on it for offline use. It is still very usable with the watermark for their GPS tracking devices.
Some Ham Radio software can be modified for NMEA rocket tracking with a cacheable photomap as outlined here: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...-Mapping-Program-Update&p=1573624#post1573624
Other shots are shown above in the thread of test images. I only received two positions and that's all it took for me to recover the rocket from an ejection charge failure. The map images are what I had in real time on the field.
The other Ham Radio software, Xastir, is linux and is a bear to setup now without freely accessible maps for off grid use for NMEA trackers. Kurt
 
You'd use Google Earth post launch. No need to do so whilst flying.

FrSky have a new RX out. It's tiny and is only 3G. I've one on the way to bench test.
 
You'd use Google Earth post launch. No need to do so whilst flying.

FrSky have a new RX out. It's tiny and is only 3G. I've one on the way to bench test.

The issue there is one needs a live internet connection. If they don't have it, it's useless for graphical tracking. A live map of some kind gives one an added edge as it's readily discernible the drift pattern. If the flight is "high" and "far" when proceeding to the last received position, might not see the rocket and if out of the receiving ground footprint of the tracker, might not know which direction to proceed. True, most sport rockets one sticks the last known position into a handheld mapping GPS and it gets them to the rocket or within the ground footprint to receive the final position.

There is a significant advantage to a portable mapset not requiring an internet connection when operating in remote areas. Kurt
 
I'm very interested in the various possibilites of GPS trackers. I've got an Eggtimer TRS that I've done one low flight with ( I wouldn't have possibly needed the tracking, but it was just a test anyhow ).

I've got a Taranis as well, didn't know this was an option, though it doesn't really surprise me. Looks like fun.

I have looked into the possibility of interfacing with the smart.port on Frsky RXes though. Lots of potential.

Martin Jay McKee
 
If your only interested in finding the rocket the RSSI telemetry is all thats needed. If doing the Google Earth map thing then GPS is it. There was a fellow on RCG that had an Android app for your phone which did i believe the Google earth right on the phone, Hapi or something like that I think was his handle. I don't know if its still available on Google Play.


Richard
 
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Sadly this has been miss understood and taken to a level higher than what it was ever intended.

Thanks.

The Ida was just to use some hardware that I had and know a lot of rocketeers also use as UAV pilots and combine them.

It wasn't my idea was someone's here but I've shared it.

My new RX arrived but the post has damaged it so awaiting a new one.
 
If your only interested in finding the rocket the RSSI telemetry is all thats needed. If doing the Google Earth map thing then GPS is it. There was a fellow on RCG that had an Android app for your phone which did i believe the Google earth right on the phone, Hapi or something like that I think was his handle. I don't know if its still available on Google Play.


Richard

GPS Rocket Locator: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.frankdev.rocketlocator&hl=en

Will work without an internet connection and maps with two points and a datum line to follow. But I'll tell you, it's nice to know what geographically lies in your way between you and your rocket. Only time I used it, if I had the maplink, I would have missed having to ford 4 drainage ditches going direct and I could have hopped in my SUV and driven onroad to a point I could park and had an easy walk to pick it up. Kurt
 
There are certainly simpler ways to achieve the same thing, but I like to know different approaches -- even the more complex. I've used basic battery/RSSI telemetry. I knew about variometers, current meters, etc. Just didn't know that there was an already packaged GPS for FrSky.

Keep the ideas coming!

Martin Jay McKee
 
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